Hit-run kills grandfather; lies add to family's pain

Jorge Cordero was walking to a neighborhood market in Southbridge to buy bananas for his wife when he was hit by a car on Main Street.

The car kept going. A witness gave police a partial plate number, saying it had turned onto Coombs Street.

The 81-year-old Cordero was taken to Harrington Memorial Hospital with a severe head injury and then flown to UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester. The next day, on Sept. 30 of last year, police found a damaged Hyundai Elantra at 83 Coombs St. that matched the description. According to police reports, the owner of the car, Karen Morin, tearfully confessed that she was the driver.

The next day, police got a call from Morin's sister. She claimed that Karen was covering for the actual driver — her husband, Corey Morin, who had a suspended license and criminal record for drug-related offenses. Police also learned from another relative that Corey had packed a suitcase and was planning to flee, according to reports.

Police interviewed the passenger in the car, Andrew Sprague, who also claimed Karen was the hit-and-run driver, but police were skeptical. A few days later, Karen admitted her husband was behind the wheel, according to reports.

"Karen apologized for lying to me but she did not want Corey to go to jail," according to a report filed by Southbridge Police Sgt. Ryan Roettger. "Karen stated that Corey has a job now, and has been going to the (methadone) clinic religiously, and felt that any jail time might cause Corey to relapse into drugs and would hinder his ability to provide for her and her kids."

Police obtained a video from Spectrum Health Systems that showed Corey leaving the clinic in the Hyundai minutes before the accident. He eventually confessed to being the driver and said he had taken his eyes off the road while reaching for his sunglasses, according to reports.

Meanwhile, Jorge Cordero went from hospital to rehabilitation and back again. In addition to his head injuries, he suffered a broken leg and broken ribs. He contracted pneumonia and was placed on a breathing tube.

The patriarch of a large family and great-grandfather of 10, he came to the United States from Ecuador and had worked as a machinist for American Optical. After the accident, his wife of 58 years visited him every day.

"He was kind of a homebody but liked to go out for walks," said his granddaughter, Edith Jaehne. "He was in pretty good health. The fact that someone could hit him and just drive away ..."

Police charged Corey Morin with leaving the scene of a personal injury accident and driving with a suspended license. Sprague was charged with obstruction of justice, while Karen Morin was charged with improper operation of a motor vehicle.

Corey Morin is free on personal recognizance, but his alleged victim would never go home. Last month, on Feb. 27, Cordero died at St. Vincent Hospital. He lived on the same street as the man who allegedly hit him.

"I feel terrible for the family," said Police Chief Daniel R. Charette. "He was hit and just left in the road. ... Our people did a great job putting this together."

The case is in the hands of Worcester District Attorney Joseph D. Early Jr., who will determine whether the charges against Corey Morin will be upgraded. The lawyer for the Corderos, Michael Caplette, said the Morins had a small insurance policy and the victim's widow will receive little to nothing in compensation.

"This family has suffered for five months," he said. "It's just one of those cases that reminds you how unfair life can be."